Reforms in Army

Government has approved major reforms in the Indian Army which will begin with the restructuring of Army Headquarters.

  • The Army headquarters had instituted 4 studies with an overall aim to enhance the operational and functional efficiency of the force, optimize budget expenditure, facilitate modernization and address aspirations.
    • ‘Re-organisation and right-sizing of the Indian Army’ which focuses on operational structures to make the force efficient and future-ready by taking into account the operational situation on western and northern borders.
    • ‘Re-organisation of the Army Headquarters’ with an aim to bring in "integration and preclude the redundancies.
    • ‘Cadre review of officers' whose focus was to recommend how to carry out reorganization and restructuring to meet the aspirations of the officers' cadre.
    • 'Review of terms of engagement of rank and file' which was aimed at harnessing the higher life expectancy and ensuring the younger profile of key commands and motivation of the personnel.

Shekatkar Committee

  • Ministry of Defence under the chairmanship of Lt. Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar had constituted a committee to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces in 2015.
  • Recommendations:
    • Closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations.
    • Enhancement in standards for recruitment of clerical staff and drivers in the Army.
    • Improving the efficiency of the National Cadet Corps.
    • Recommended a roll-on defence budget to have enough capital expenditure available for modernisation as against the present practice of surrendering unspent capital budget at the end of each financial year.

Source: TH